Desert Shadow
by Sophie5
Summary: Chapter 5 is up! Darkness is her friend and the shadows, her ally. But her best friend from the past may be her worst enemy in the future.
1. Prologue

**Desert Shadow**

_Prologue_

She slowly opened her eyes, letting them adjust to the light. In her wake, the artificial light that hung overhead blinded her. As her vision cleared, she saw an old man with dark wrinkled skin and snowy white hair as well as a mustache. His hair was long and it fell against his back. The old man's eyes were a beady blue and very evil. She did not like his eyes.

Then she gazed upon a young boy who had also awoken on a steel table next to her. Two locks of his brown hair fell onto the table. He wore a blue cap that was turned backwards and a symbol was above the clasp. It was a bright red ribbon with two white uppercase R's on it. He had on a white turtleneck undershirt and he wore a blue t-shirt over the long- sleeved turtleneck. The same symbol was on the side of the t-shirt sleeves. He turned his head and gazed upon the girl, pale blue eyes emotionless. She flinched at the coldness of them.

She then looked back up at the old man who now wore a sinister grin on his face. "Ahh, you've finally awoken Kyuu-gou." he said.

_Her eyes narrowed. Nine? Why did he call me Nine?_ she pondered.

The old man now turned his gaze upon the boy next to her. His evil smile broadened. "I see that you're up as well Juu-gou."

She looked over at the boy._ Ten? Why is he calling us numbers? Doesn't he know our names?_

Then, the realization hit, and it hit hard. She might as well have been called a number for her name was nowhere to be found in her memories at all. She was a nameless being.

Suddenly, a faint picture flashed through her mind. It was of 4 youths, 2 pair of twins. The pair on top looked almost identical by facial features. The boy had chin length black hair, with the same icy eyes as the boy she laid next to. The other was a girl with blonde hair and most of it was combed to one side. Her eyes were the same color as her brother's.

The two twins on the bottom, however, looked nothing alike except for their dark green eyes. The girl had spiky banes that were combed on both sides of her face and it covered one of her ears. A long strand fell down her face in an angle while her hair was pulled up in a ponytail by a blue ribbon. She looked obviously happy in the photograph. Then there was the boy, the same one whom she was next to back in the laboratory. He had the same style of clothing on and everything else in the picture except for the eye color. But even so, the eyes she saw in this picture were full of warmth and happiness.

The image faded away and she was back in the gloomy laboratory, with that evil man. She looked back over at the boy and saw he had the same hatred she felt in his eyes. He had seen the vision as well, and the same questions seemed to fill his mind as well.

The old man gestured toward them. "You can sit up." he said.

They both did so, but felt quite awkward. These weren't their normal bodies. What was happening to them? As the girl sat up, she saw the same little symbol as she did on the boy at the knees of her black pants.

Then she looked around her. _What is this place?_ she wondered.

The old man's smile faded into a bitter frown. "I am Dr. Gero, your creator. You two are part of a great army known as the Red Ribbon Army. From now on I am your Master and you shall do what I say. So far I have not had a problem with disobedience, but insubordination will not be tolerated."

Dr. Gero looked over at Juu-gou. "Juu, Kyuu is your twin sister and is older than you by one minute. You two are a combat group, which means you're stronger together than you are apart. Though you're capable of fighting on your own if you wish."

She looked over at Juu and saw he was looking at her as well. They both smiled. _My twin brother uh?_ she thought.

Dr. Gero began to pace in front of the bewildered siblings. Only their eyes followed his movement. "The two of you are androids and your main mission is to destroy my enemy." he explained, paused, and then looked at them. "Son Goku." Gero finished.

Kyuu narrowed her eyes and then began to search her mind. Her databank told her who Gero's enemy was. _Son Goku...East District...Saiyan...Male...Power level now upgraded to 142,000._ flashed the data in her mind.

She smiled. _That's not bad. Now let's see how I am._ Kyuu searched inside her energy bank and her eyes widened in shock. _Over 1 million? Hmmm..._ she wondered, then she looked over at Dr. Gero who was rambling on about how they were the beginning of world domination.

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. _If the reason Dr. Gero created us was for world domination, why is he after this Goku character? And if he has the capability to make us a thousand times stronger than Goku, why doesn't he just turn _himself_ into an android?_

"Kyuu!" Dr. Gero's sharp voice tore through her thoughts.

She forced back a smile. "Yes, Dr. Gero?" Kyuu asked, shocked at the silkiness of her own voice.

Dr. Gero held up a chord connected to a plug. It sparked randomly and she noticed the chord was connected to her. He smiled evilly. "Time to shut down!" he said, laughing demonically. Then he pulled the chords apart.

She started to scream until her voice gradually drowned down.

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"Kyuu! Kyuu! Wake up! _Nine!_" a voice yelled to her as she felt her body shaking violently.

She flung herself up while sucking in a mouthful of air, eyes wide open in fear. The move was so abrupt that both Juu and Kyuu's heads collided, causing Juu to fall back on his butt. Kyuu whips her head around in both directions, trying to calm her panic frenziness. She caught a whisper of her brother's grunts.

Juu rubbed his head tenderly and then his butt, groaning and hissing in pain. "_Damn Kyuu!_" he muttered, one eye glaring at his twin.

Kyuu rubbed her forehead, palm instantly covered in sweat. She breathed heavily, her lungs swelling to suck up as much air as possible. She glanced over at Juu whose facial expression was of pure annoyance.

She smiled at her brother, eyes half lidded. "Sorry Juu." she panted. "Didn't mean to scare you there."

Juu mumbled a complaint as he got up and dusted off his jeans. He walked around in the darkness, feeling against the wall for something. He finally found it and scratched a match against the wall. The tiny flame illuminated his face, revealing his pale eyes. Juu lit an oil lamp that hung on the wall and shook the flame out on the match, the light revealing the large, granite cave.

Their home...At least temporarily.

Kyuu wiped the sweat from her cheeks and shoved the blankets off of her. She felt a chill shoot up through her and trembled. She looked over at her brother who coked the fire, flames roaring up in a flash. Then he dusted off a rock and sat on it, poking a stick in the fire to keep it flaring.

He smiled and shook his head. "Was it the same dream?" he asked, voice calm and smooth.

Kyuu looked at her brother, surprised at his directness, then she stared at the fire. "Yeah." was her only reply.

Juu looked at his sister who stared blankly at the roaring inferno. "That's the 6th time in the last 2 weeks." His gaze moved to the fire in front of him. "It's been 8 months since we left that place. Why do you keep going back?"

She pulled a picture out of her back pocket and looked at it. It was the same photo she'd seen in the her vision. The same one she'd been having since she was activated 8 months ago. It was no longer crisp and new like when she had found it, but bent and creased on the edges. Kyuu had remembered the picture lying on Dr. Gero's workstation, designing the newer androids, Seventeen and Eighteen. But it was only the interior design, so she had no idea what the outer appearances would be...but that it would turn out to be another combat unit component like her.

"In all the dreams I've had, this photo is always in it." She looked at Juu, his eyes now focused on her. "These dreams aren't figments of my imagination Juu. They're happening for a reason."

Kyuu's eyes returned to the fire and it flinched from her icy eyes. Eyes so cold that not even the roaring flames could withstand her freezing glare.

Her thin, black brows furrowed. "And whatever that reason is, it's going to happen all too soon."


	2. Rain Falls on the Desert Shadow

**Desert Shadow**

_Chapter 1_

**"Rain falls on the Desert Shadow"**

The steady rain continued to pour from the sky. It was as if Heaven were crying because of so much pain the planet Earth had taken. The planet, its people, all of it was dying. The Androids' reign of terror continued to devastate the planet, destroying the people's hopes. Hope had died when Earth's Special Forces were annihilated and the Dragonballs had disappeared. Their trail of destruction left the survivors trembling with fear, for there was no one left to protect them.

It continued for 13 years nonstop.

Tears of heaven could not wash away the blood, the death, and the fear.

It only increased it.

Even though the Z Warriors were dead, there was one person who was still strong and willing to live, no matter how hopeless and futile it seemed. That person was now racing through the heavy rain, carrying grocery sacs back to her home so she could hope to feed herself and her son. The city was desolate because it had just been attacked by the Androids. She had hoped to get by them without being seen by the Androids at that moment she was in town, but she soon changed her mind because she didn't want to leave her son as an orphan.

Suddenly there was a loud and massive explosion nearby. The woman stopped, her feet just barely slipping on the wet concrete. A strong gust of wind blew hard against her, causing the hood on her head to blow back, revealing her foam greenish-blue hair. She slowly turned her body around, catching the smoke of the explosion and little particles of flame covered pieces.

Bulma's blue eyes narrowed. "The city is already a wasteland! What could they possibly gain by destroying random buildings?" she muttered.

She turned back around and resumed her run back home just as another building exploded. The rain continued to slide off of her windbreaker and her sneakers sloshed in the many puddles. Bulma held her grocery bags tightly to her chest. As soon as she was out of the city, she pulled out her Dino Cap pack, picked a capsule and clicked on the top. She then tossed the capsule off in the distance and her car appeared.

As Bulma got into her car, she couldn't help but wonder if her little "project" was really going to work. She constantly told her doubtful son that it would work, but she had a hard time of convincing herself of that too. She was getting old now, her 14-year-old son proved that fact. But her thoughts kept venturing back to her younger days, and her good times with Goku and the others. She missed them so much. But who Bulma missed more was her lover, Vegeta, Trunks' father. She thought of how the Androids slaughtered her friends, who were more like family to her. How Goku was the only one who had passed on in peace, and yet that had been a terrifying omen from the start. It wasn't fair to her, to Trunks, and it also wasn't fair to Gohan.

_...Gohan_.

He was the last remaining Z Fighter on planet Earth, and he had been fighting against the Androids since he was 11. He never really had a good child, teen, or adulthood for that matter. He had given up everything to face the evil that terrorized the planet. His studies, his goals, his dreams. He even left his mother so that she wouldn't try to stop him, irrational as she was. Gohan had constantly been fighting till the bitter end, giving it all he had until finally he turned Super Saiyan. Yet that still wasn't enough to defeat them. There were so many opportunities for the 2 Androids to kill Gohan, like they did the others, but they always left him barely alive.

Bulma fastened her seatbelt and cranked up her car. The explosions were getting closer as she sighed and began to drive off toward her home. "It's just a game to them. They're killing thousands of innocent people for their own enjoyment. Damn those two!"

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"Damnit, all this rain! It's been rainin' for a straight week!"

A lone figure walked aimlessly around the city ruins. Just moments before her arrival, the area was flourishing with people, who, amazingly enough, were smiling and happy. The people of Earth still had their hope, and showed it through their happiness on this day. Even though there was so much sorrow around them, there were still things to be joyful about.

But now they were all dead, or barely alive.

As the figure continued to walk, explosions of buildings could be heard in the distance. The shadowed person changed pace and began walking toward, instead of away, from the danger. There was nothing else to do around the city ruins, and it wasn't like this stranger had anything to lose.

"Stupid Androids. Up to no good I bet."

The shadowed stranger cracked its knuckles and sighed. "It's about time I made my appearance anyhow."

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The sinister android Seventeen continued his assault on the wrecked buildings. Him and his sister Eighteen had already leveled the city to bits early that afternoon. It had been another one of his games that he had decided they'd play. Afterwards, when all the remaining humans had scampered off into hiding, Eighteen had gotten bored and when home to try on some of her new clothes she had gotten out of the store before Seventeen had managed to blow it sky high. She had gotten pretty pissed off about that, and it seemed like forever before he could talk her into spreading terror on the city with him. He hated having to beg her into doing things he wanted to do when she was mad at him.

Seventeen didn't feel up to going home just yet, so he just hung around for awhile to blast away some buildings. Soon that started to bore him as well, all too quickly actually, but he still wasn't ready to take off for home. He wanted Eighteen to feel sorry for leaving him behind. She'd be worried in another 30 minutes if his guess was right.

He descended from the building he was on and landed in a puddle. Seventeen watched the rain fall into the water, causing small ripples to form. He had always been fascinated by nature's little actions. So, to enjoy its gifts, Seventeen began to walk on the wet streets.

As he walked along, admiring the heavy damage he and his sister had caused, he saw someone approaching towards him. He smiled, wondering who had the courage to walk back into such a demolished area. The figure's head was bent low and was concealed by a gray hood that was connected to a cloak that wrapped around the body. It could have been a wandering traveler who had never been to the city before. The person held no ki signature, so there was nothing for him to be threatened by. No one else on the planet could take him on, that is, except for Blondie, his little toy.

The stranger approached closer, but Seventeen continued to walk toward it. He was curious to see what this person would do.

Finally they crossed paths, too close actually. The figure bumped shoulders with Seventeen and the android's eyes narrowed quickly as his muscles tensed.

"Sorry." the stranger complied.

Seventeen froze, back to the stranger who continued to walk away from him. He was speechless. He couldn't believe this person had the gall to just bump into the world's most fearsome terror yet and all the person had to say was sorry!

_Am I losing my edge?...Nah, I doubt it._ Seventeen thought arrogantly. He turned and watched the stranger walk away. Guess it wouldn't hurt to strike some fear.

"Hey! You!" he called.

The figure stopped and turned around, cloak barely moving the breeze. "Yeah, what?"

Seventeen's eyes widened for just a brief second, but then narrowed again. "You must have alot of guts to bump into me and then get rude! Who do you think you are, because you have no idea who you're messin' with!" he demanded.

A strong gust of wind blew up against Seventeen's back, causing his black hair to cast off forward. He watched as the wind slammed against the figure's cloak and finally, the hood was thrown off, revealing the stranger's face. It was a female human with jet black hair, banes that spiked and combed on either side of her face, framing it well. A tendril fell in the very middle of her face, over her nose. A touch of light brown on the flesh and eyes pale as ice. Thin black brows furrowed over the gleaming, narrowed eyes. Her high ponytail blew back behind her with the wind, an authoritive and annoyed expression on her face. The blue eyes held no fear in them, but rather a questioning anger.

For a moment, and only a moment, Seventeen was shocked. He had never seen his own expression thrown back at him. Not only by her boldness to test him, but by her beauty as well. She was so well placed with the shadows, but her skin gave off an appeal of warmth, like sand from the desert.

Seventeen smiled. _A Desert Shadow._

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Trunks felt his pencil snap against his notebook as the news caster announced that another city was destroyed. He had been doing his homework, waiting for his mother to return from shopping. Gohan was with him, helping him with homework, and he trained out back. He couldn't believe that they had struck again so soon.

Trunks closed his eyes while tossing his broken pencil away. "Monstrous." he muttered.

He was just about to cut off the radio, when the news man announced what city. _The city which was destroyed was East City. Very few are thought to have survived the Androids' assault._ the radio blared.

Trunks' eyes widened in fear, then he jumped out of his chair and ran outside to the back, oblivious to the rain. He saw Gohan, as a Super Saiyan, training, which was his basic routine of slicing a tree into millions of pieces with his bare fists. He didn't want to attract too much Android attention, because they hadn't discovered the Capsule Corp. home, and he didn't want to endanger his only family other than his mom and grandpa.

Trunks ran through the grass, just barely slipping. "Gohan! Gohan, quick!" he cried.

Gohan stopped his training, a bit of wood chip falling onto his nose. He shook it off while phasing out of Super Saiyan mode. "Trunks, what's up?"

Trunks stopped in front of him, panting heavily. "G-Gohan! We gotta, we gotta go!"

"How come?"

"Mom! She may be hurt!"

Gohan scowled. "The Androids?"

Trunks nodded. "Yeah! The radio just reported East City destroyed! It happened nearly 4 hours ago, which is around the time Mom left!" He paused, then looked at Gohan, whose face was now as serious as ever. "Gohan, East City is where Mom was shopping!"

They both nodded to each other in agreement and were about to take off when suddenly...

"Trunks! Gohan! Get out of the rain right now! Do you want pneumonia!" Bulma yelled at them from inside the house.

Trunks instantly ran and embraced his mother, nearly knocking her off of her feet, a reaction surprising to Bulma. He hadn't hugged her since he was 12, going through his stage of puberty, amazingly enough that he could actually bother with something like that during their despairing atmosphere. At times, he would've rather died than let her hug him in public.

Bulma stroked through his lavender hair. "I didn't know you cared." she mocked.

Glaring at her, he smiled. "Oh Mom!"

They all went into the house, shaking the rainwater from their bodies. Bulma went over to the fireplace and roared up the flames to warm everyone up. The last thing she needed right now was to nurse anybody back to health. Bulma left that job to Chi-Chi. She took off her soaked windbreaker, shook her wet hair loose from the ponytail and set the groceries on the countertop in the kitchen.

"Gohan, Trunks. Why don't you guys change out of those wet clothes and get warm? I'll get dinner ready." she instructed them.

Gohan removed his top to his gi and threw it in the laundry basket. He revealed his muscular body, and how it had changed in the last 13 years. He threw Bulma a deep look of concern. "Bulma? Are you sure you're alright? The Androids didn't hurt you did they?"

His former babysitter smiled. "Don't worry Gohan, I'm fine. I got out in time." she said, then sighed. "But I just feel sorry for those who didn't! I can't believe they attacked and destroyed another city. Those two wiped out District 459 just 2 days ago!"

The Saiyan's eyes narrowed. "Looks as though they're getting restless. They have to be stopped!" he snarled while balling up his fist, then he sighed. "But I'm just not enough to stop them."

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Seventeen continued to gaze at the girl in complete awe. He'd never seen a human so beautiful, or rather, at least not take the time to look. How could such beauty elude his detail catching eyes? _Hmm, I wonder how I could've missed her. _he asked himself, for at least the 3rd time.

Her annoyed expression deepened. She obviously hated being stared at. "BOO! What, never seen a girl before!" she snapped.

The Android's eyes narrowed, smile still placed seductively on his face. "No, it's just that I'm in a state of pensiveness." he remarked her coolly.

"Is that a fact?" she said while raising an eyebrow, annoyance still shown throughout.

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She paused a moment and studied the young man's face.

_Wait..._

Her thoughts interceded, then she studied him again.

_That face._

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Seventeen watched the aggravation slowly mold into suspicious wonder. Sudden change in expression...but why? He saw the annoyed expression return._ Very interesting_.

Seventeen decided to wait and see what these changes would soon reveal unto him.

But one thing was certain...

He was_ not_ going to be disappointed.

_I know I've seen that face!_

She was getting upset with herself, but she knew she'd recognized that face.

_But from where!_

Suddenly, a brief image flashed through her mind. It was a photo, the one she had been carrying for nearly 13 and a half years. It was the twin boy in the picture. The young man with chin length black hair and ghostly blue eyes. Finally there was a link to her past now! Maybe he knew who she was, or could remember who she was to him. She continued to gaze at the youth's face, wondering if there was any sign of recognition in his eyes at all, of who she was.

...There was none.

"Now who's staring at who?" His voice cut in through her thoughts, and her hopes.

She was just about to reply, when a familiar symbol caught her eye. It was on his shirt.

A bold red ribbon with two white uppercase R's inside of it.

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Her eyes widened in brief shock, denial, and sadness. He could see it all, but he didn't understand why she was throwing these riddling looks.

Seventeen was getting a tad bit uneasy with her silence, and her body language. _What could she possibly be thinking?_

Her pale eyes narrowed under her furrowed brows. They glowed remorseful, but then burned with rage.

He smiled to himself. _Now she's disturbed. I've made her aggressive somehow._

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_

_Sooo. He's the one I've been looking for all these years._

She balled up her fists, hidden beneath her cloak.

_I've gotta end this now!_

Her hand slowly slipped through the split in the front of her dark gray cloak and she began to untie the string around the collar region.

_I have to stop him now!_

After the strings were loose, she clutched the collar of the cloak, eyes narrowing further as she watched the killer Android gaze in curiosity. The rain suddenly began to fall heavier, thunder rumbling in the distance.

_Otherwise..._

Then she snatched the cloak off of her shoulder and threw it to the side, the rain falling even harder, matting her black hair to her face. Lightning flashed nearby, suddenly followed by a clap of thunder that rumbled the already crumbling buildings. The cloak flew farther off, yet near enough for her not to lose it.

_I'll never be able to do it later._

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Seventeen began to study her clothing, seeing how even more beautiful she was underneath the gray concealment. She wore a bright red, skin tight shirt that was now soaked. The neck portion of the shirt went nearly all the way, barely showing half an inch of her light brown skin. It was a long sleeve shirt, stopping at the wrist and flowed down into her black jean pants. She had a black vest, where the sleeves looked like they had been ripped off, fringing on the ends, and the base was trimmed in white. Around the loops of her pants was a brown belt with a bright gold buckle. Then that's when he saw it.

On the knees of the pants was the Red Ribbon Army insignia.

His eyes narrowed. _She's an android._ Seventeen watched the female android spread her legs apart, clamping both her hands into tight fists as she positioned them to her side.

She was getting ready to fight.

"So Android. You got a name, or rather, a number?" Seventeen asked his opponent as he still stood casual and upright.

Her almond eyes narrowed even further. "My _number_ is of no relevance to _this _battle. Besides..." She paused, then smirked. "It's not like you'll live long enough to find out who I am anyway. And if you do, then that's just a mistake on my part now isn't it?"

Seventeen shrugged. "Too bad. I guess I'll just have to make up a name for you then won't I?" he asked her, watching her smirk fade away.

"What do you mean!" she demanded, the smoothness of her voice now beginning to ripple.

There's fire! I like it! Seventeen declared triumphantly in his thoughts. He smirked, arching one dark brow over his light blue eye. "You won't give me your droid number, so I'll just have to call you something else. I can't just call you Android now can I?"

He placed a finger on his chin, stroking it carefully. All the while she stood still, prepared to attack at any moment.

_Desert Shadow._

Seventeen's eyes brightened with satisfactory. "I've got it! A perfect name for you."

_Desert Shadow._

He positioned himself into a fighting stance, preparing for his assault. "Shall we dance now, my Desert Shadow?"


	3. Enigmatic Android

**Desert Shadow**

_Chapter 2_

**"Enigmatic Android"**

Rain fell in huge waves, splashing the 2 androids that were now at a standoff with one another. Both were ready to battle it out to the death. The combat units had finally been encountered, and the test was to see which would survive the battle. Each determined to destroy the other by any means necessary.

At least _she was _anyway.

Seventeen smiled, peering at his Desert Shadow through the misty rain. She was angry, fired up, and currently abhorring his mere presence.

He...just..._loved it_.

_Could I get any craftier?_ he bragged to himself.

His main objective was to scare her, but seeing as how that didn't work, he figured he could make her very, very mad. So far it was working rather well too. Seventeen's smile continued to grow as he watched her anger grow with it. He decided to toy with her, to have his fun before he took her out.

"Are you mad Desert Shadow?" he asked sweetly. Seventeen watched her brows twitch, the scowl on her face deepened.

But her eyes showed appall.

He raised an eyebrow. _She may be an android with emotionless outer appearances..._ Seventeen tossed a wet strand of his black hair aside. _But her eyes can show more emotions than any mere human could._

Another wet tendral fell over his face as he heard the thunder rumble in the distance._ Desert Shadow...who _are _you!_

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Her eyes narrowed down further, partly because of the rain and partly because of his arrogance. But mostly because she was so damn mad. How could he just sit there and enjoy tormenting her like this? By making her angry? It was insane, considering the fact that she could probably beat him if her heart so desired.

_But why are you playing games? Why!_ she thought angrily to him.

"I thought you were going to get on with it?" he asked, smile still present on his elegant face. Eyes, half-lidded, suddenly began to rise in question. "Or shall I make the first move to get you going?"

She felt her fierce expression mold into a sneer. "Let's see if you can!"

He relaxed from his ready position and stretched. "Ready?" the android asked, and then he suddenly flickered from her view.

She shot up from her fighting stance. "What tha!"

Suddenly hands grabbed hold of her wrists and they held tight. Her head snapped around to see a glimpse of the dark hair and pale eyes...

_And _the smirk.

She quickly did a back kick to him but he simply leaped into the air, dodging it with incredible ease and finesse. Pain swept through her as she felt the base of his knee crash directly into her back, causing it to arch forward. Completely caught off her defensive, she gave a small cry as her head flew back. Warm breath touched her neck as she felt the android's smooth cheek touch her own, his black hair caressing it smoothly. His cheeks slowly rose into a smile against her face.

"Guess _you _weren't, were you?" he whispered in her ear.

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Eighteen paced around the house, which basically were the remains of an old theatre that they had nearly destroyed. But it had managed to stay upright and intact during their assault. During one of Seventeen's little joy rides, she had first brought up the idea of finding a place to live and seeing as how her brother was not paying her any attention, Eighteen had decided to go scout for one herself. The assault damage they had done was just a minimal. As a matter of fact, the theatre was the only building they had missed during their raids on the towns. It only felt the aftermath of their attacks and so she had picked it out instead.

She went into her room and began to toss some of her clothes here and there on the floor, then on the bed. Finally Eighteen decided to flop on her bed, crossing her feet at the ankles and then resting her hands behind her head. She was so bored without Seventeen around, and yet she could get bored when he was around too. She was so hard to please these days.

_I wonder where my childish brother went off to?_ Eighteen thought. She sighed._ I swear, Seventeen is just like a little kid! He always wants to go off and play his little games on some stupid human!_

Her eyes fell onto the clock across the room near her bedroom door and saw that it was getting close to midnight. _What's taking him so long to get back? He's usually home by now._

After a few minutes of relaxing on her bed, Eighteen quickly sat up, walked out of her room and out of the theatre only to get splashed by the rainfall. She held her hand over her hair. "Awe damn! I _just_ washed my hair!" she cursed, then finally gave up on trying to cover her blonde hair.

Eighteen tossed a wave of wet strands away from her blue eyes and sighed. _Guess I'll scout the area for him. He can't be far._

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Seventeen could feel her struggling within his grasp as he held her wrists strong. She had tried many times already to head butt him, kick back at him, and even tried to flip over him. But it was to no avail because he was too fascinated with her and with his own game that he was playing. This made him hunger for the procession of the game and how far she was willing to let it go before she lost her sense of control.

Seventeen grinned as he rubbed his cheek against her neck, smelling her scent of jasmines and also hearing her growl in anger. Let's see how long you last, Desert Shadow.

"Are you having fun yet?" he whispered to her teasingly.

The growl was more evident this time. "Bastard! How dare you!" she snapped, balling up her fists tighter against his hold.

She fought harder and harder against his own hands on her. He enjoyed pissing her off like this, because it only caused him to lust for her enduring courage. Courage, an emotion that was not suited for a killer android. But was she truly a killer? Could she really kill in cold blood like he and his sister could? Seventeen couldn't help but wonder about this, because he would've known about it earlier if she had attacked any of the cities that they hadn't assaulted yet. This also enticed him to work out that killing nature inside of her, to see if there was one, and if she truly was an android of Dr. Gero's.

Suddenly, he felt something that he shouldn't have felt from an android. It was large, and yet it was small, barely a spark.

But it was still there.

_...A ki signature_. Seventeen thought curiously. _But, but how?_

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_Damn him!_ she cried out in her thoughts.

**"Kill him."** a familiar, yet strange, voice said to her.

_But why?_ her voice answered.

**"Why _not? _Kill him."**

_What would that solve? What would it prove?_

**"Kill him!"**

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Eighteen suddenly stopped in mid-flight. She had picked up a strange ki signature, but a ki signal no doubt. She could have sworn that Seventeen and herself had killed all of the warriors of Earth. It wasn't Blondie's power either, but someone new to the area. It didn't seem like much of a power, going on and off like a light switch. But the sudden jolt of power she had gotten from it, it was odd to her. That kind of power was not normal to the area.

She feared for her brother now.

_I better go get him out of trouble, because I know he's in it_.

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The feeling was still there, but sort of dormant, waiting. What was it waiting to do? Seventeen continued to feel the little flame of ki inside of his Desert Shadow. What could it possibly have meant though? An android having a ki signal, it just wasn't natural. He could feel her tensing up even more, the rain gushing down on them in waves. Yet the flame still could be felt against him, it was burning.

Suddenly, Seventeen heard her hum, though barely audible to even his sensitive ears. _What is she doing?_ he pondered.

He glanced over at the side of her face, suddenly wishing that he hadn't. _My God! Her eyes! Her entire eyes are blood red!_

Seventeen felt some nerve clutch at his heart. Was it fear?

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Trunks and Gohan's senses perked up as they felt an odd ki signature wavering in and out of consciousness, yet very much alive. They hadn't felt a ki beyond their own in 13 years, so what, or whom, did it belong? It seemed so surreal to them, and yet it wasn't. Their curiosity continued to rise as the ki slowly faded into its consciousness again. This time it stayed this way while it started to grow.

Trunks looked towards Gohan. "Hey Gohan? You feel that man?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I know Trunks. It's such a mystery to me, and yet something tells me I should stay put and not see what's going on."

The younger Saiyan arched an eyebrow at his mentor. "But _why_ Gohan? Wouldn't it be better to help this person? I mean, it's obvious that this guy isn't an android. Androids don't have ki signatures."

Gohan shook his head solemnly. "I don't think I ought to Little Bro. Something just isn't right."

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**"Kill him!"**

_But I can't._

**"C'mon!"**

_I can't!_

**"Do it! Do it now!"**

_NO!_

**"You burn to kill!"**

_Shut-up! Just Shut-up!_

**"It's raging inside you! Do it!"**

She felt her anger peak to where she didn't know if she could fight it anymore. _NO! I won't! I won't!_

**_"KILL! KILL!"_**

_STOP IT!_

**"Kill him!"**

Her vision returned to the scene she was in. The rain fell in waves but she couldn't feel it. She couldn't feel, hear, touch, or smell anything. But she could taste her hunger. It flowed throughout every vein in her body, causing her heart to pump vigorously against her chest. The hunger continued to burn inside of her until the inside of her mouth was wet with saliva. She hungered for blood.

And she wanted it..._now_.

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Seventeen held his breath as he felt Desert Shadow's ki suddenly grow substantially. It was incredible, and he could've sworn that her eyes had turned a deeper crimson. The sudden nerve that clutched at his heart began to deepen. What was the feeling? He couldn't place it at all.

Suddenly, he felt himself fall back and he quickly glanced down at his leg to see that she had placed one of her legs behind his calve muscle and had leaned forward with her other leg. Before he could react, she tightened her arms and broke free against his grasp, now clutching his wrist and then tossing him overhead. He gave a sudden cry of surprise and soon landed on the heel of his sneakers, just barely slipping in a large puddle. As he turned to look at her, he caught a glimpse of her black hair slowly rising off of her neck in calm waves, a bright red energy outlining the edges of her body. The ki continued to rise, but he couldn't understand why. Why there was a ki signal at all if she was an android.

"Seventeen!" said a voice from above him.

It was his sister, Eighteen. He was ever so grateful! "Sis! What are you doing here?" he questioned.

She landed on the ground and tossed her wet blonde hair to the side, pale blue eyes now narrowed. "I knew you'd be in trouble!" Eighteen snapped, then looked over at what the problem was. "So, what female did you piss off _this time_ Seventeen?"

He scoffed. "Oh come on! She found _me!_"

"Really now?" she asked while arching a blonde brow. She then caught the Red Ribbon Army insignia stitched into the knees of the girl's black pants. "Is she really an android?"

"I'm not so sure. I don't think she'd be going around wearing our clothes for sport, and yet it's that ki." he complied.

"I know. That's what I don't get either. Let's just take her out."

Seventeen smiled. "I agree."

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**"Good! Good! Now _that's_ the blood I was talking about!"**

_I...I...I want to..._

**"Yes! Go on! Say it!"**

_I want to... I want to..._

**"Say it! Say you want to kill! Go on!"**

_...I...want...to..._

**"Yes! _SAY IT!_"**

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Eighteen's eyes narrowed as she watched the red outline begin to broaden around the android. But she wasn't so sure if the girl was an android or not. One thing was for sure, she was going to pay for messing with her brother! She quickly did an attack to the android, lashing out a kick to the girl's side but she instantly reached up a hand to block it, red eyes burning at Eighteen. Eighteen lashed out another kick followed by a punch and then a knee to the stomach, all successfully blocked except for the knee to the stomach. She saw the android lean over just slightly, red eyes narrowing.

She felt Seventeen's presence behind her and she soon saw him soaring over her head, a flying sidekick aimed straight at the android's face. She raised her arms in an 'X' motion and blocked the kick, but it caused her to fly backwards and slam into a ruined building. Her eyelids covered over the red momentarily, but they only flashed open again to reveal the burning crimson. Eighteen saw the girl's lips curl up into a sneer.

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_Desert Shadow. What a waste you are._ Seventeen thought to himself as he watched her slide down against the building into a shallow puddle.

He sighed as her eyes slowly reopened again. _It's really too bad that my sister came along. She hates it when other girls come into my view, so she kills them._

_Goodbye, Desert Shadow_.

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**"C'mon! Say it already! You want to kill!"**

_I want to...I want...to..._

**"Yes! Say it! SAY IT!"**

_I..._

**"Say it! Kill!"**

_Want..._

**"Yes! Kill him!"**

_To..._

**"Kill! KILL!"**

_LET HIM LIVE!_

**"WHAT!"**

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Eighteen heard the android moan and watched her eyes shut again. But this time, when she opened them there were the whites of the eyes and the pale blueness of them. She had fallen out of her crazed stage, that is if she was in one to begin with. The ki signature had died down till it was nothing anymore.

"Stupid witch!" she muttered.

She was about to attack again when she felt a hand grab her firmly by the wrist. Eighteen turned and glared at Seventeen. "But why!"

He shook his head. "Leave her be. She's harmless now. Let's go."

She scoffed at her brother, knowing what the real reason was. "Fine, let's go then." Eighteen muttered under her breath and then flew off, leaving her brother behind as he watched the android girl.

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She could feel the water seeping in through her pants while sitting in the puddle. Her back rested against the stone wall gratefully as she let out a sigh. Black locks of her hair clung to her face as the rain continued to fall. It was official. She hated the rain. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the female android take flight to the air. She couldn't recognize her, except for the fact that she had the Red Ribbon Army symbol printed on the back of her jean vest and that she had shoulder length blonde hair. Everything else was a blur.

But she didn't see the male.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her weakened figure. She knew, without even having to look, that it was the male android whom she had encountered that night. His number was still a mystery to her, yet so was hers a mystery to him. The shadow grew deeper and she could see that he had kneeled down in front of her, a smirk still placed elegantly on his face. It was also official that she hated that expression. She hated it to the very core.

He reached out and touched a few wet strands of her hair, trying to push them out of her view but she simply turned her face the other way. "Listen, you brought this on yourself Desert Shadow."

Her eyes only moved to look at him, but her head was still turned away. "Don't call me that!" she snapped, the silkiness of her voice now curdled.

She felt her chin rise upward gently and then it was turned toward him to where she was forced to look at him. "Desert Shadow. That's what I'll be calling you until you give me a name." he said coolly, then the smirk broadened. "Or rather, a number."

Finally he rose, looking down at her. "In the meantime, I'm Seventeen." he said.

Her eyes suddenly widened. _Seventeen! That beast Dr. Gero! He did this purposely! _she thought angrily, then her eyes narrowed down severely._ I hope he's damned to an eternity of suffering, the lunatic!_

Seventeen winked and then kissed at her. "Until our paths cross again, Desert Shadow." he stated, then flew off into the night sky.

She watched his figure disappear into the shadows before rising off the ground. The cold was starting to find its way through, but seeing as how weather could not hinder her capabilities, it felt like nothing more than an itch. Making her way towards her gray cloak, which surprisingly didn't get blown away, she continuously tossed the night's events around in her mind. It had all happened so fast, and she couldn't remember anything after she had blacked out momentarily. It was all so strange to her, and yet she knew that it was going to occur again. But when? That was the real question.

As she slipped on the damp cloak over her shoulders and sighed, it became clear to her what she had to do. She fastened the knot where the cloak was held together. _Alright then. I know what I have to do now._

Her hand reached back and slipped the hood over her head. _Juu and I have to destroy those two. Then we go down too. _she thought as she balled up her fist.

_To finally put an end to the Red Ribbon Army._


	4. Twist of Fate

**Desert Shadow**

By: Sophie5 (Pai-Chan)

_Chapter 3_

**"Twist of Fate"**

_**1 WEEK LATER...**_

"Nina! Nina! Wake up already! _Nina!_" a tiny voice whined.

She slowly opened her eyes, a blurred vision in her view. They gradually adjusted to the rays of sunshine that engulfed her room through the window. Could the sun really continue to shine, even through these terrorizing times that had been waging on for the past 13 years? Apparently it could, but the Earth would never truly be healed until the evil androids were eradicated. Finally, her eyes were focused and she could see the one who was desperately trying to get her to rise.

A little girl, now 7 years old and very zealous, was continuously tugging onto her arm, trying to drag Nina out of bed. The child had pretty, shoulder length auburn hair with dark green eyes to lighten the face and hair, as well as the creamy skin. She was dressed in her favorite outfit. Denim overalls that stopped a little past her knees, a yellow and white t-shirt with socks to match. Her name was Kasumi Hanoi, Nina's little sister, and today was her birthday. A celebration needed to be at hand.

Unfortunately, Nina was the one who offered to do the decorating of the house as well as to supervise the children who were coming to her party. Kasumi tugged onto her shirtsleeve again, adding extra force to get Nina's attention. "Nina! C'mon! It's already morning and you have to help get my birthday party ready!" Kasumi continued.

Nina sighed and brushed a hand through her tousled brown hair. It was a mess, she knew it was because she felt like a mess. "Alright Kasumi. I'm getting out of bed. Tell Grandma to have a cup of juice ready for me by the time I get downstairs."

Kasumi leaped into the air. "Okay!" she declared with excitement, then raced downstairs calling for her grandmother.

Nina smiled, suddenly wishing to be young again. But alas, she was 14 now and had to deal with grown-up responsibilities. She didn't mind though because it always gave her certain freedoms that other kids her age didn't have. They didn't complain though, because they knew how rough Nina had gotten it in the beginning of her life, the very time she was just a baby. The house she was living in was not her _real _home, and Kasumi was not her real sister as well as the rest of the family was not her _real_ family. But that never bothered Nina at all, because she still considered them a part of her blood, therefore she couldn't really care if they weren't or not.

The Hanoi family adopted her when she was a baby, or rather, they _found_ her when she was a baby. Her parents, the ones who gave birth to Kasumi, had died when she was 9 years old. They were killed by the androids when they were out shopping. The parents of Nina's mother, Kikuyu Hanoi, were the Tatsumi's and they held custody of both Nina and Kasumi. The full story of Nina's past was not really explained to her. Instead, she was continuously told that "Her time would come to know." So instead of complaining about it, she just let it go and eventually forgot about asking. Nina gladly took life in stride and with a smile.

While clambering out of bed, Nina pulled her hair into a loose ponytail. True, she did _miss _the Hanoi's, but there was no point crying over something she could not change. The only thing she could really do about anything was to cherish the life she had now, and is _thankful_ that she was still alive.

As she headed toward the bathroom down the hallway, Nina did a few punches to the air and then a high kick. The Tatsumi family lived out in the country, away from most android activity that took place in the city. But that didn't mean that the androids wouldn't attack there, so Nina took it upon herself to learn how to fight. Not only to battle the androids if they came, but to take on any of the crazy thugs that ran around different parts of the world, stealing what they could and taking advantage of the crazy chaos that was conquering over people's hearts.

But there was also more to it than that. Nina had always thought that it was in her blood to fight. She didn't know why though, and yet that rush for battle still swept over her like the wind. Her senses were keener, sharper, and her movements were fast. It was weird to her and she always found herself questioning her actual origin. Knowing that she wasn't going to get the answers she wanted, Nina also decided to shrug this feeling off as well, and yet tried to enhance it too. There was no harm in trying to make a use of this fighting instinct of hers.

She slowly pulled off her shirt and jumped into a pair of jeans while snatching up a white tank top. _I wonder if I'll _ever _find the answers. _Nina thought nostalgically.

"_NINA! _Hurry up already!" Kasumi called from downstairs, apparently getting agitated.

Nina felt herself laugh. "I'll be right down Kasumi! Keep your shirt on!" she yelled back while pulling on her blue and white plaid shirt, rolling the sleeves up to her elbows. Then she headed downstairs to prepare for her long day of work.

As she made her way down the stairs, Nina caught a glimpse of Kasumi running outside the house. Their dog Rocky, a German shepherd, followed her close behind. He barked excitedly at Kasumi and she giggled in return while petting his nose.

Nina smiled and then she turned her attention to her grandmother who'd just placed a glass of orange juice on the counter for her. Snatching up the glass in her hands, Nina quickly gulped down the juice and then placed it in the sink. She was just about to head towards the shed when her grandmother caught her attention.

"Nina!" she called.

Nina turned around. "Yeah Grandma?" She noticed the wary expression on the old woman's face and suddenly began to worry. "Is something wrong?"

The elderly woman shook her head. "No honey, nothing's wrong."

"Well then, what's up?"

Mrs. Tatsumi sighed slowly as she sat at the kitchen table. "Nina. There's something that I need to tell you, and I believe that you're old enough now to understand."

"Huh?" Nina's curiosity grew. Perhaps she was finally going to know the answers she had been longing to know.

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Seventeen paced around the empty ruins of East City, the place where he had first encountered his mysterious Desert Shadow. He had not seen her in the last week, even after the rains had stopped. It was peculiar that he didn't know of her whereabouts with this much time between then and now. But he had no clue as to where to look for her, and it's not like she had a ki signal anymore. Why was he so interested in her? Sure, there was the simple fact that she was an android who was created by Dr. Gero, the same lunatic who was able to composite _his_ cybernetic body. But was there more to it? There had to be. It just didn't make any sense to pursue her like this if it didn't mean anything to him.

His toy.

That's what she was. Seventeen had enjoyed his little game with her that wet night, and the thought of it aroused his lust for carnage. He longed for the touch of that flawless skin against his own, the smell of her sweet fragrance, her growl echoing through her throat. All of it enticed Seventeen to have more of her.

_I _will_ have her. _he thought to himself as a smile formed on his lips. _I will have her at any cost! She will be mine and mine alone!_

It was a new obsession for him. Even more than seeing how long Blondie could keep up with Eighteen and him before they tore him apart, leaving him for dead. But they never hurt him enough to where he would die after a few hours. Blondie was persistent and wouldn't go down easily. Seventeen had a feeling of that. It would only be a matter of time before Eighteen would decide that they finish him off.

Seventeen walked towards the building that Desert Shadow had crashed against. He slowly let his hand caress the cracks in the stone while his fingers traced the lines where the stones had split apart. The side of his body slid against the ruin until he was finally on the ground. Seventeen rested his head against the impact crater and inhaled slowly. He felt himself smile because the jasmine scent was still there. Continuing the gentle movement of his fingers, he slowly closed his eyes as his smile broadened.

"Desert Shadow, I _will _find you." he whispered to the rock, then sighed, reopening his light blue eyes. "I'll change the shape of this entire planet if necessary! As long as you are mine in the end!"

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A lone figure stood on the top of a cliffside, admiring the Earth's tranquility. Could the planet really still feel like it was at peace? It was hard to tell from his point of view. Things were hard enough as it was with him being an android and all that. He shifted the black armband that was wrapped around the middle of his t-shirt sleeve, wondering if his sister and he could really defeat the androids. It was hard to believe, seeing as how the odds were heavily stacked against them. By what she had told him, the terrorizing duo were _not_ easy pickings.

_And what's worse, one of 'em is our_ friend! he thought bitterly, then sighed. _She wasn't sure of the other one, but there's a good chance that the other android is also the female in that photograph._

He flopped onto the ground as tiny blades of grass flew around him. Grabbing a few, he began to twirl them in his fingertips. _Damn that Dr. Gero, the sick bastard! I hope he's miserable, and_ dead!

"Ten." someone called to him.

Slowly turning his head, he caught view of his sister. "Nine." was his only reply. Then he turned back towards the horizon, overlooking the natural landforms.

Ten felt his sister's shadow cast over him, then she sat down, touching shoulder to shoulder. "Ten, what're we to do? The human race will pretty soon be wiped out if we don't do something about it." she stated calmly, then she leaned her head against his shoulder.

He brushed one of the longer strands of his hair from his face, even though everything else was cut short. Then he scratched the back of his head, wishing that he had his cap on. "Yeah? Well what is there to do _Nine? _You couldn't beat them, so what chance do_ I _have huh?"

"The only reason I lost was because you weren't there so we could work it together!" she countered.

Ten turned to look at her, pale eyes blazing angrily. "And was that _my_ fault? You're the one who went off on your own in the middle of the night, _remember?_ So don't you even_ try _and lay this on me!"

He heard her sigh, then she suddenly rose to her feet. "You're right. I guess since all you can do is sit here and find ways to get mad with me, then maybe I _ought_ to go and settle this myself!"

Ten rose to his feet in a flash, teeth bared while a growl escaped. "Now look here Nine! I never said that I was mad with you! _ I'm _mad at the fact that you wanted to face them _alone!_ It's been a week already and all you've done is do nothing but plan, and planning _without_ me!"

He paused as both of their pale eyes burned with anger. Not towards each other, but to their behavior. Emotions were a weird thing for them and they still didn't think they'd get used to them, even after all these years.

They both sighed and Ten grabbed his sister's hands. "Look Sis, if we're going to beat them _together_, we have to get our priorities straight _together_. Okay?"

Nine nodded. "Alright."

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Gohan breathed heavily against his pillow. It had to have been close to mid morning by now, but his body just didn't feel up to rising just yet. He still had to recover from the last fight he went through against the androids three days ago. The good thing was that the pain was actually worth it this time. Gohan had stopped the 2 maniacal androids from completely eradicating District 657. There were some setbacks though. His arm was broken in the battle and so were 2 of his ribs. But they were almost completely healed. Gohan could feel that as he stretched his fingers on the damaged arm, then arched his back to test his ribs. He sighed with relief to know that they were fine now.

He slowly turned onto his side, wondering how he had managed to survive this long on his own. _If Dad were here, none of this would be happening right now! This misery would've ended long ago. _Gohan concluded for maybe the millionth time since the androids' assaults. He longed for Goku greatly, but then again, so did everyone else who knew what he was capable of.

Gohan felt his eyes wander towards a framed photograph nearby his window. The sun's rays hit the glass covering perfectly, giving the picture a certain glow. It was of Goku and himself when he was a little boy, no older than 6 years old. Goku was completely wrapped in bandages from head to foot while Gohan had a bandage wrap around his head and arms. He was sitting next to his dad on the bed, and regardless of the pain they were in, they could still smile. It was taken after the battle with Vegeta and Nappa. When that battle had finally ended, they then let Vegeta go free, even though they really didn't want to.

But it was all because of Goku's kindness and mercy. Otherwise, the Earth would not have had the Saiyan prince as an ally. Yet it was still all just a waste. Somehow the thought of Earth being jinxed by Goku was unlikely because he was dead now.

Suddenly, Gohan noticed that water was sliding down his cheeks and he pressed his face against the pillow. He was crying again, but for the first time in a _long _time. _Oh Dad, I wish you were here._

_**SEVERAL HOURS LATER...**_

"Nina! I _loved _my party! Thanks _so_ much!" Kasumi declared, overjoyed.

Nina smiled down at her little sister, quickly bringing herself back to reality. "Anything for _my _little sister!"

Kasumi gave a cheesy grin and clutched onto her big sister's hand as they walked down the busy streets of Pepper City. Nina responded by firmly grasping the tiny fingers in her own palm. The knowledge of knowing that this little being, this precious lifeform that she had practically raised herself, was only not her real family, but there was no hope that Kasumi could ever be. Many thoughts attacked her like hot knives into her chest, causing a sudden spark to hit her throat. She fought hard, with all her strength, to swallow the pain down to the pit of her stomach. Nina sighed as she recalled the words her grandmother had befallen onto her.

_"When the Hanoi's found you Nina, you were just an infant. It was when the androids had just demolished Koga. They drove by this house that was on the brink of falling apart when they could've sworn that a baby's cry could be heard from within. Your mother, Kikuyu, risked her very life to get you out of that house. On your wrist was a name bracelet that had the words inscribed, 'Nina,' and you had a necklace around your neck, with an ivory colored stone as the charm. She said that she found you inside this pod-like spaceship, for safety purposes was her only guess. The other object she found was this photograph of what was probably your _real_ family. The back of it says 'A Saiyan Family.' I just felt it was your time to know."_

Nina slowly lifted her arm to touch her chest. The photo of her real family was hidden away behind her vest and so was the necklace. _I don't even know who I am anymore. _she thought sadly as a nostalgic feeling welled up in her heart.

"Nina?" Kasumi called to her from below.

Instinctively, Nina's eyes brightened like crystals for her younger sister. "Yeah Kasumi?"

Kasumi held up a stuffed, light brown rabbit clad in a red overall dress. The rabbit's ears were straight but sagged at the tips and the black whiskers poked out from the tan mouth regions of its face. The coal black eyes glittered happily as the threaded smile was present on the plush doll's face. Nina saw the glow in Kasumi's green eyes as she grinned, her auburn hair now darkened to a near burgandy due to the straw yellow sun hat she had on her head.

"I really like the present you gave me!"

Nina felt like her heart had collapsed into thousands of pieces. How could it be, that this precious one was not even hers to claim as her family. They weren't even in the same race, because Kasumi was an Earthling.

_While I'm just a freak. I'm an alien...a Saiyan. _

"I'm glad." she replied, slightly gripping onto the tiny fingers in her hold again, cherishing the softness of the innocense.

_But what _is _a Saiyan?_ she felt herself asking.

Suddenly, Nina's eyes were captured by a nearby store with many different charms and jewelry. She slowly calculated the numbers in her head and concluded that she had enough money to buy "bonding charm" neclaces for Kasumi and herself. Nina turned her head around to see if her grandparents were nearby. Her eyes caught a hold of the salt and pepper hair of her grandfather and she decided to leave Kasumi with him while she went and bought the necklaces. It was to be another surprise gift for her little sister.

Her brows narrowed slightly over her eyes. _Or rather, my little companion. She isn't my _real _sister. She can _never _be mine to claim._

"Grandfather!" she called back.

The old man turned his gaze towards her, inwardly wishing that he didn't have to take his eyes from the new golf set on display in the shopping window. "Yes Nina?"

She held out Kasumi's hand that was held strongly in her grasp. "Could you look after Kasumi while I go to this store? It'll just be a minute."

Mr. Tatsumi nodded, a smile forming underneath his mustache. "Alright." he replied, and then held his hand out for Kasumi as she ran to him, giggling happily.

Before she decided to take off, she looked back and revelled at the scene of grandfather and grandaughter. How their smiles seemed infinate and indestructable. Nina clenched the palm that had held Kasumi's innocent fingers just moments ago, a feeling of deep sentiment cascading down the inner reaches of her heart. Then she turned and ran through the crowds in the streets of Pepper City, towards the jewelry store.

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"Seventeen, I grow rather bored just staying home." Eighteen complained as she tossed another outfit aside onto her bed, preparing to try on another one.

Seventeen watched his sister's movements from the opposite side of her room, resting his elbow on the armrest of the chair so he could prop his head up. "Well Eighteen, what do you propose we do? You always complained whenever we were destroying cities _everyday_, then every _other _day. Finally you came up with the conclusion of every _three _days. What now?"

She tossed her shoulder-length blonde hair to the side as she began to put on her denim Red Ribbon Army vest over her pin striped shirt and tank top. "I'm just so fired up about that nusiance Gohan! I can't believe he actually kept us from destroying _all_ of District 657 three days ago!" Eighteen muttered, snapping her palms into fists.

The android smiled at his twin's annoyance. "Well, I think it was actually pretty ironic that he managed to do that. It just makes the game more fun. You have to keep an open mind about these things Eighteen."

Eighteen quickly turned around to face her brother, pale blue eyes narrowing further than the almond shapes were at normal stature. "You can be so stupid sometimes!" she countered roughly, then sighed. "But I suppose you _do_ have a point. I hate it when you're right!"

Seventeen rose from the chair and made his way over towards his sister's side, placing a strong, tan hand onto her shoulder. She looked up at him, eyes flickering with no emotion. He couldn't help but feel his thoughts wander back towards the other female android, his Desert Shadow. Her eyes were so different from Eighteen's. Perhaps because they seemed so human, the other reason of how Seventeen had mistaken her for a human in the first place. After all his searchings, there was no trace of her whatsoever. It annoyed him to know that she wouldn't resurface, even after the attack on District 657. Maybe if he attacked another, well preserved and populated area like East City was, it'd get her attention back to him.

Seventeen felt his lips curl into a smile. "Tell you what? How about we go and mess up Pepper City? I've gotten kinda tired of bypassing that area anyway." he suggested, suddenly seeing the smile form on his twin's lips.

"I'd like to enjoy the sweldering smoke it'll emanate when we blow it up!"


	5. Scent of Death

**Desert Shadow**

By: Sophie5 (Pai-Chan)

_Chapter 4_

**"Scent of Death"**

Nine gave a quick intake of breath as her eyes flashed open, her retinas taking in the sudden rush of light pouring in them. She quickly bolted out of her bed, completely dressed and in a fighting position. Nine's palm was curled to her side as she felt electric shocks of energy gather inside. She couldn't explain what that feeling of being choked was coming from, but she didn't like it. Breathing was still difficult at that moment.

Nine took a moment to take in her surroundings. She was inside a cabin and could feel the warmth of a fire blazing in the fireplace nearby. There was a cauldron of some soup being cooked in the hearth which was, for some unknown reason, left unattended. Slowly turning around to inspect the rest of the room, she noticed twin beds near an open window and pale green curtains were blown by a gentle breeze as the sunlight streamed in directly onto the bed she'd just been laying in.

_Why can I never remember anything before I lay down to recharge my energy cells? _Nine thought irritably. _It takes me hours just to remember what the hell I had for breakfast!_

After a final run through of the entire cabin, she decided that maybe it was best to see what was going on outside, reminding herself not to wander off too far from her current position. Her fingertips barely brushed the doorknob when the door swung open, nearly knocking into her. Ten flew past her in a blur and was immediately at the fireplace, moaning in the process. Nine instinctively rubbed a hand through her hair, making the windblown locks that had escaped from her ponytail elegantly fit her face. As she turned to look at her twin brother, he grimaced at the cauldron, knowing that if it wasn't removed the soup would either lose its flavor or boil away all together.

She chuckled. _He always _did _hate to cook. _Nine thought, then noticed that he'd turned to look back at her.

His disgusted look deepened as he gazed at her questioningly. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Just that I know how much you hate cooking."

"Well if you know how much I hate it, why the hell don't _you_ cook for a change, huh!"

"Because _I _do the shopping around here."

Ten ground his teeth and with a wave of his hand, the fire had disapated. He gazed into the black pot and his nose wrinkled, fully expressing his feelings of dissatisfaction. "You need to let me do the damn shopping." he muttered.

Nine grabbed her cloak that hung on the wall and wrapped it around her body. "Forget it. There's no way in hell you're gonna get_ me _to cook!" she countered, then tied the string on the front of her cloak. "I'm off to run my errands."

Suddenly a pain stabbed the inside of her head, piercing at her mind. Danger was coming and it was in the form of Android Seventeen. Ever since that night they fought, she's had an unbreakable connection with him, especially in feeling his presence. Luckily for her though, he had not yet learned to unlock his emotions so he couldn't detect her aura no matter how hard he looked for her.

_Feels like he's heading Northwest...several kilometers Northwest. It'll take me at least over half an hour to get there. _

Nine sighed and felt the wind blow against her cheeks, her black hair clouding her vision just barely. _But by then it may already be too late._

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Nina quickly paid the attendant for the accessories and ran out the door, faintly hearing the cashier claim that she'd given him too much money. She did not take heed to his words. Her thoughts were now somewhere else. Nina couldn't explain it, but some cold feeling seemed to have shot up her spine. It was a mix of both aniticipation and terror. Suddenly she wished that Kasumi _hadn't_ talked her into coming to the city to spend the rest of the afternoon. Clutching onto the necklaces that she'd bought for Kasumi and herself, Nina began to frantically search the crowd for her grandfather and Kasumi. Unfortunately, they were nowhere in sight.

_This isn't good. _she thought to herself, half aware of her surroundings. _I told them I'd be just a minute so where could they have gone off to?_

Nina continued to push her way through the crowds of people in her path, scanning the area for her family. Though Pepper City wasn't a huge metropolis, it was still big enough to lose someone in if one wasn't paying close attention. Her eyes went in the direction of the showcase her grandfather had been looking in. The new set of golf clubs was still being displayed, but no sign of her grandfather or Kasumi was inside of the small shop. She quickly turned on her heels and headed back toward the jewelry shop and decided to start her search in another direction. Nina's irritation grew as her search continued, now seeing that this would be a perfect time to bring up the cell phone issue to her grandparents _again_ when they got back home.

The cold bit at her for a second time. But it felt much worse, to the point where she could barely even breathe. She changed her course to instead a nearby building and Nina proceeded to head behind the building where she could momentarily catch her second wind. Clutching her chest tightly, she could feel her breath coming out in shorter intervals and she was beginning to think she'd developed pneumonia when a peculiar smell touched her nose. Faint, but pungent, Nina could not place her finger on the scent at all, though it was unmistakably familiar somehow. Taking more time to sniff the air and to catch her breath, the smell was now getting stronger.

Her eyelids narrowed slowly as her vision began to slowly survey the area around her. It was close. _I smell it. _she finally concluded as her eyes shifted slowly upwards. _I smell death in the air._

Forgetting about her breathing problems, Nina took off from behind the building and tore down the street, ignoring the people she continuously bumped into. She was now fearing for her family's life and a huge pain swelled inside the pit of her stomach.

"KASUMI! GRANDPA! GRANDMA! WHERE _ARE_ YOU!" Nina yelled through the streets as ongoing traffic glanced at her, confused. But she didn't care. Something just wasn't right. She had to find them now for she knew something bad was going to happen, she just knew it.

Unbeknowest to her, Nina slammed right into it.

"Oh sorry! Sorry!" she exclaimed, totally bemused and embarassed.

Her eyes moved up to see the piercing blue ones of an attractive young man with straight, jet black hair that fell chin length. His skin was evenly tan and his well chiseled features gave off an air of brisk strength instead of bulky brawn. An elegant smile formed on his lips, one that seemed to declare both interest and surprise. Nina couldn't understand it, but no matter how friendly he may have seemed, something about this stranger didn't make her feel anymore relieved than before she had lost her family to the crowd.

The smell of death was stronger now, coming from his presence. She gasped. _It's him! Death cloaks him from head to toe! _Then the insignia caught her eye.

"M, my God..." Nina stammered in fear.

The Android's smile broadened. "You'll see him soon." he replied coldly, then in turn, slapped her hard in the face.

She flew off to the side as her body smashed through a nearby building, bits and pieces of glass covering her body as it cut through her skin. The last thing Nina remembered before she blacked out was the curtain of blood oozing from her own head, the Android shooting off his energy blasts, and the screams of terror from the people in Pepper City.

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Trunks continued to twiddle with his thumbs as the music played on the radio in the car. He could feel the eyes of his mother burning against the side of his face, anxious to hear his question. But he just didn't know how to go about asking it. For one thing, he knew the first thing out of her mouth would be something negative toward his idea. He heard from Gohan that it was something Vegeta had a knack for doing and he'd also known Bulma to be that way since he'd first met her. Trunks wanted to fight alongside Gohan so badly. As far as anyone knew, he was the last surviving member of Earth's Special Forces and that obviously wasn't enough to stop the androids' continuous assaults.

He looked over at his mom and saw that she was concentrating on the road again, wind blowing through her foamy green hair. Trunks opened his mouth to speak just when the song on the radio was interrupted by a news reporter.

_We interrupt this program for a special news bulletin. Pepper City is currently being attacked by the androids and they are now proceeding to turn their attention to the civilians of the city, determined to wage a full-scale massacre! We ask that all residents near the area of Pepper City, please evacuate to a safer location. I repeat, all residents near the Pepper City region, please evacuate to a safer location. That is all._

"Don't they ever get enough! Damn those two to hell!" Bulma exclaimed, slamming her fist against the steering wheel.

Trunks squeezed his fists against his pants legs, angry at not being able to help. He _had_ to do something!

"Mom, I want you to go on home without me!"

She stopped the car. "What's wrong Trunks?" There was a momentary pause and he could hear her sucking air through her teeth. "Forget it Trunks! N-O!"

Trunks turned his head to look at her, trying his best to make her understand as he pleaded to her on the inside. Bulma's eyes narrowed. "I already lost my husband to those mechanical monsters! I'm _not _going to lose my only son to them too!"

_Sorry Mom! _he apologized in his mind, then flew out of the car and headed towards Pepper City.

"DAMN YOU!" he heard his mother yell to him. "YOU HAD BETTER COME BACK ALIVE OR YOU'RE IN TROUBLE!"

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The city was now a mere pile of rubble. They'd demolished the city alot faster than he'd anticipated. But that wasn't going to help his plans any because he knew it just might take his Desert Shadow a while to get to their current location. Yet if he'd explained to Eighteen just whythey were _really_ doing this, she would've had no part in it and in the end, his boredom would've eventually gotten the better of him. He soon began to shoot at random buildings to help pass the time. Seventeen started to ask his sister to join him when he realized that she was still mad at him for blowing up that clothing store after saying that she would spare it and the owner. But it still wouldn't hurt to try.

"Hey Eighteen--" he began as he caused another building to explode.

"Don't talk to me you jerk!" Eighteen cut in as she sat on a pile of rubble, a sour expression deeply chiseled onto her face.

Seventeen turned to look at her, pale eyes gleaming. "Awe c'mon! Don't tell me you're still mad!"

She spat on the ground and tucked her hair behind her ear. "It's not your concern anyway. You're lucky I don't hate you for embarassing me the way you did!"

He flew down and sat next to his sister, nudging her playfully with his elbow. "Man Eighteen, don't be like that! C'mon, I said I was sorry. It was a simple mistake."

The Android's reply was a simple huff and the turning away of her head, pouting. Seventeen decided to give up for the time being and as he gazed at the destroyed city, his thoughts began to wander to the very first girl he'd killed the moment he stepped into Pepper City. She had to have been no older than 14 years old, but she was already starting to bloom into womanhood. Her thick, dark brown banes shaded the brown of her eyes while the rest of her hair fell down the small of her back that was held in a loose, low ponytail. The girl's skin tone was a couple of shades lighter than his own, and from the quick glance that he'd taken the time to do, he surveyed that she was also very athletic, possibly even a martial artist protege. But the one thing that stuck to his mind was the look in her eyes before she realized who he was.

It was a determination that could not be broken.

_Too bad she's dead. _he finally accepted, though now regretting his abrasive actions.

"Let's go home. I'm bored." Eighteen's words cut into his thoughts and after concluding that Desert Shadow was going to be a "no show," agreed with his twin and they set off for home, leaving the chaos of their destruction to fester inside the hearts of the survivors. If there _were_ any.


	6. Warriors Are Born

**Desert Shadow**

By: Sophie5 (Pai-Chan)

_Chapter 5_

**"Warriors are Born"**

Gohan swore under his breath as he raced to get to Pepper City. He hated leaving his mother behind so suddenly, but when he'd gotten the message on the radio he could not just stand by and do nothing! It didn't matter if he were several thousand miles from the city, but that he had to at least try and get there and possibly stop their reign of terror on the people.

He was a little over halfway there, realizing that it would take him too long to get there and that he would probably be too late to do anything when he got there.

"Dammit! I've gotta try! I can't let them win against the human race!" Gohan declared, speeding up in the process.

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Nina's eyes struggled to open, but the pain was too fierce against her nerves. For some unknown reason, it was difficult to breathe. She absent-mindedly wiped the back of her hand over her eyes, feeling her own blood on her flesh. Finally she opened her eyes and was surprised to see that it was still bright daylight, but the building she was in was dark. The only light was the sunlight flooding in through the opening Nina had crashed through.

Coughing from the dust, she moaned in irritation. "I feel dead." she whispered harshly to herself.

Forcing herself to rise up from off her back, Nina noticed that there was a huge rock lying on her stomach, making it nearly impossible to get up. This was also the cause of the lack of air coming into her lungs for it was crushing her lungs. If she didn't get the stone off soon, she'd suffocate to death.

During her struggle, Nina choked out blood and the sight of it splattering onto the boulder caused her to turn her head and vomit. The abrasive move caused one of her broken ribs to jab into the side of her lung and she coughed out more blood, followed by vomiting again. Afterwards, she took in a huge breath, sucking in the clean air through her nostrils. Nina's eyes widened in fear and she slapped a hand over her mouth immediately, fighting to push the rock off her body. Tears streamed down her face until she finally shoved the boulder off herself and threw up right in between her legs, sobbing soon afterward.

The smell of death overwhelmed her. There was so much of it in the air that it revolted her. "I feel dead." Nina whispered again, feeling the sweat slide down her neck and back.

Her knees were weak and the strength to stand seemed to allude her, but Nina summoned the will to force herself to rise. When the young girl gained her footing, she viewed her surroundings with a cautious eye. Nina's heart thumped heavily against her chest as her ribs ached with pain. She spat, blood flying to a nearby rock while cursing at her injuries.

_I bet _I _look beautiful! _rang Nina's sarcastic thoughts.

Her eyes caught sight of the hole she had smashed through when the killer Android had slapped her. Nina took note of the iron bars poking out through the eight-inch concrete walls and how all the rubble was scattered both inside the building and outside the hole as well. She could feel a lump well up in her throat as she tried to take in slow breaths of air, but the shock was too great.

_I went through that and _survived! _That's just not humanly possible! I hit that wall with my _head! _I should be _dead _right now!_ Nina's hand touched her chest, as if automatically in response to her thoughts. _Is it because of the alien blood in me?_

As she walked toward the hole she'd created, a tiny squeak filled the quiet emptiness. Her eyes squeezed shut and her muscles stiffened as she prepared for an onslaught. But none came. Nina opened one eye warily, looking over her shoulder for some being to lash out from the shadows. Sighing with relief, her eyes fell to the floor and she soon figured out where the noise had come from. Lifting up her foot slowly, Nina saw that she'd stepped on plush, children's doll that was shaped into a dog that wore a bright orange shirt. Without really thinking, she picked it up and examined the blue doll further.

"I'm..."

Despite the pain, she craned her neck to look over her shoulder back into the store.

"in a _toy _store?" Nina finished.

She was about to leave, immediately resuming her search for her grandfather and Kasumi, praying that her grandmother had found them. But another part of her forced her to stay and see if there were any other survivors. Veering away from the damage she'd caused, she turned around and viewed the destruction brought about by the Androids. Nina's eyes fell onto the overturned shelves of toys and debris cast across the checkout counter. She looked up and saw that the ceiling had collapsed, which explained the broken slabs of rock scattered everywhere in the store. As she brought her eyes back down to look around once more, Nina gave a shrill gasp of horror.

Under the huge pile of ceiling rocks were the arms of the innocent citizens of Pepper City. The upper parts of their arms were sticking out of the rubble, flesh stripped away on some parts, revealing the bone. The hand's fingernails were torn away, as though the person were clawing madly at the sky, trying to free themselves from their prison of rubble. The rocks were sprinkled inside the open flesh and Nina's acute sight could define every line of tissue and vein inside their arms. She slowly averted her eyes to another area and was even more disturbed when she saw a woman's hand and a man's hand, cut and scraped, gripping onto the tiny hands of a toddler's.

Nina felt her knees give in as she collapsed onto the ground, trembling in fear. Her tears descended endlessly down her face as she wailed in agony, shielding her ears and shaking her head as though to shake the image away. She heard someone kick a rock outside somewhere, but she no longer cared.

"N-no." she sobbed.

"_NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_"

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Trunks looked around the ravaged ruins of what once stood the grand metropolis known as Pepper City. Now it looked no different than where the Android's had first struck, nine miles southwest of South City. It was a complete ghost town now; buildings still continuing to crumble as it admitted its miserable defeat to the mechanical demons of that era.

He slowly walked up the streets, viewing the mass obliteration. He halted in front of what he assumed to have once been a toy store. Trunks looked around and saw the bodies of all the people of Pepper City, some residents and some not. The number of dead people seemed myriad and the sight of it caused the demi-Saiyan to quaver with anger.

Just as he was about to walk the rest of the way up the street, his foot touched something. Trunks looked down and saw that it was a plush brown rabbit wearing a red jumper dress. His heart seemed to sink and thus, he kneeled down and gently scooped up the doll in his palm. Tears brimmed his eyes as he saw where it had come from and who the bunny belonged to. Not too far away from where he'd found the doll he saw its owner.

Part of her anyway.

It was a little girl's hand that had probably been blown away from an unknown energy blast.

The demi-Saiyan felt his shoulders shake uncontrollably, crying profusely at the massacre that lay before him. He fell completely to his knees, slamming his fist onto the ground as he continued to cry in sorrow.

"How! How can they _enjoy _killing all of these innocent people!"

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Nine curled her lips into an angry sneer as she took in what Android Seventeen and his sister had done. The full effect seemed to wash over her in one fail swoop of anguish. The body count was too great and even though her programmed calculator could approximately give the number of deaths, she placed that function on lockdown for the time being because the number was not important.

The ferocity of it was enough to turn her iron stomach.

"Seventeen's gone too far this time." she snarled, making her way towards the middle of the city. "How dare he eliminate an entire population just to get my attention!"

Her acute hearing caught the sound of a boy whimpering to her right about fifty feet away. Making her way to the sound, she scowled at the utter ruin Seventeen and his sister had left in their wake. As she went around a large slab of rubble, she saw a young boy, about 14, kneeling down on the ground. His tears fell incessantly as he clutched a plush doll in his hands. Focusing her eyes, she could make out the shape of a rabbit wearing a red jumper dress. Nine walked towards him, not bothering to silence her footsteps. The boy suddenly stopped sobbing, his breathing now hushed. His eyes gazed over at her, a pale blue like her own, while his lavender hair clung to the bridge of his nose.

As she got closer, she noticed that he had not moved from his kneeling position at all. He was there; frozen in time as he watched her come closer to him. Once beside him, Nine took the time to make sure that her cloak was securely covering the Red Ribbon Army insignia stitched into her pants. The boy looked up at her, his tear-stained face glistening in the sunlight. Nine slowly removed her hood to show that she meant no harm. His shoulders relaxed just slightly and she responded by giving him a small smile. She leaned forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, nodding to him in empathy.

The boy's mouth opened slightly, as if he were going to say something to her. But no words came out. Nine straightened up again, replacing the hood over her head, and walked straight out of the city. She balled her hands into tight fists, enraged at the pain these Androids were causing to innocent people.

Stopping just outside the city, she looked up into the sky. _I won't let them get away with this! They've gone too far and so I'll make sure that they die..._slowly.

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Trunks didn't know how to react to the kind stranger who'd comforted him in his moment of anguish. At first he thought it was one of the Androids coming back to make sure the job finished and if there were any survivors. He was prepared to fight them until his last breath. But when the young woman removed her hood to reveal that there was no need for hostility, he calmed his nerves. Perhaps the woman was searching for _her_ loved ones in this pile of refuse the Androids had created.

Trunks couldn't forget the look in her eyes when she held his shoulder. _It was almost like she was telling me that everything was going to be okay and that she understood my agony._

He lifted the plush bunny up to his tear-stained face, inhaling the bittersweet aroma of daisies from the little girl and ash from the energy blasts.

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Nina slowly drug her duffel bag down the stairs, flinging a container of kerosene in every direction. The putrid smelling liquid sprayed onto the walls, floor, and ceiling of the house. Rocky barked frightfully, baffled by his master's actions and somewhat inquisitive as to why she'd returned home alone.

Nina's heart felt so heavy that it was amazing how she was able to walk at all. The blood was still caked onto her skin and Nina hadn't bothered to shower and change her clothes. It just didn't matter at that moment. She reached the bottom of the stairwell and paused, taking in the surroundings of her country home. Everyone was dead now. She had no remnant of the past to hold on to.

Nina walked toward a cabinet where the family portrait was encased. It was a small photo of her grandparents, her parents, and Kasumi. Throwing the remaining bit of kerosene out into the kitchen, she removed the picture from the cabinet and smashed the glass covering of the frame. She took the picture out of the frame and placed it inside of her duffel bag, Rocky's incessant barking echoing in her mind. As Nina made her way toward the porch screen door, she took one last look in the house and sighed. She let Rocky out and he chased his tail for a few moments out in the front yard, Nina locking the door behind her.

After she rubbed Rocky behind the ears, Nina searched her pockets and pulled out a lighter and ignited it. She hurled the lighter behind her and heard it smash through a window, the house exploding into flames as she attempted to quell her dog's fears. They walked side by side away from the burning house, her thoughts suddenly replaying everything that had happened that day. But what she couldn't get out of her head the most was the young boy cradling Kasumi's birthday gift.

Her eyes narrowed. _He even shed tears for her, as though it was his _own_ little sister that had been murdered. I won't forget his kindness for as long as I live._

The dark-haired man's face and cruel smile flashed through her mind for only a second. She shifted the weight of her duffel bag onto her other shoulder, gripping onto the strap until her knuckles burned white. _I...will _never_ forget that guy's face. _Nina thought, a small tear falling down her cheek.

_I won't stop living until they're dead. They will die by _my _hands!_


End file.
